HONG KONG, June 19, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - A new study by regional pay-TV industry group CASBAA shows that overall access to multi-channel video services of all kinds in Taiwan is being bolstered by a mobile video market now accounting for 92% of all individuals.

According to the CASBAA study (to be discussed June 22 during the "Taiwan in View 2017" conference in Taipei), with 15 locally established OTT platforms (as opposed to cross-border pirate services delivered from illegal off-shore servers) the largest group of OTT followers in Taiwan are young women aged 18-34, some 42% of the total. Together with 18-34 year-old males, almost 70% of OTT subscribers are "binge" viewers.

The fast-rising level of mobile broadband penetration is benefitting cable TV and IPTV operators as they develop their own multiscreen services. No longer limited to traditional TV viewing, Taiwan's mobile broadband subscribers are downloading apps and logging-in to pay-TV programming of all kinds.

With access to fully digitized networks (95% of Taiwan's 5.2m cable TV subs) Taiwan's pay-TV platforms now offer value added services such as VoD, interactive music and games, along with newly sophisticated EPGs, PVRs and the promise of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality services.

In line with the Netflix model, local pay-TV platforms are also bundling their own content with that of non-domestic program providers, developing exclusive content and packaging that appeals to younger consumers. Meanwhile, according to CASBAA, complex government constraints on cable TV investment under Taiwan's ownership rules continue to hold back the industry. (These preclude any minimal state ownership (no matter how indirect) in pay-TV - but not telcos. The result is that "convergent" investment is difficult.)

"The complicated rules on investment, along with a hugely damaging level of content piracy, are not only holding back the growth of the local pay-TV market but also the overall economic development of Taiwan as a whole," said John Medeiros, Chief Policy Officer, CASBAA.

"Living with massive revenue leakage from piracy while blocking sufficient investment in the digital economy, Taiwan is falling behind its natural potential as a regional communications hub," said Christopher Slaughter, CEO, CASBAA.

The CASBAA Taiwan in View event 2017 also appreciates the generous support of the presenting sponsor, Verimatrix and other sponsors including China Network Systems (CNS), Nagra, SES, Taiwan Broadband Communications (TBC), Vindicia.

Established in 1991, CASBAA is the association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across a variety of geographic markets throughout the Asia Pacific. CASBAA's members reach over 500 million connections within a regional footprint ranging from China to Australasia, Japan to Pakistan. For more information, visit www.casbaa.com.